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Meghan Markle’s return to Britain could reportedly reignite speculation about a rivalry with Kate Middleton over public affection. “Recently I suggested that there was going to be a ‘battle royal’ between Meghan and Kate over who would eventually win the public crown for the Queen of Hearts,” royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital.

Turner’s prediction came as Prince Harry and Markle spend more time in the U.K. following their return. However, a source told People that the Prince and Princess of Wales are avoiding a “knee-jerk” response to the Sussexes’ move. Instead, “They are watching this space.” 

The insider added, “It’s private, they don’t feel the need to say anything or demonstrate anything outwardly.” The Markle-Middleton rivalry narrative has been around for years. The comparisons grew after Markle joined the royal family in 2018 after marrying Harry. Reports later focused on a dispute over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress. They claimed that Markle had made Middleton “cry.”

Markle addressed it directly during her March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. “The reverse happened,” she said. She added that Middleton apologized with “flowers and a note.” During the same interview, the Duchess also pushed back on the constant comparisons. 

She said the press seemed to want  “a narrative of a hero and a villain.” She added, “If you love me, you don’t have to hate her. And if you love her, you don’t need to hate me.” Harry also later addressed the comparisons in his January 2023 memoir, Spare. “I always hoped that the four of us would get on, but very quickly it became Meghan versus Kate,” he wrote. 

Turner also shared his view on Prince William and Harry’s troubled relationship. “My personal opinion is that William was comfortable with Harry in the U.S. because he could constantly control the future king’s image without brand interference from his brother,” Turner told Fox News Digital.

The brothers’ rift became impossible to ignore after Harry and Markle stepped back from royal duties in January 2020. In the 2022 Netflix series Harry & Meghan, the couple revisited their break from royal life. Then, days before Spare hit shelves, Harry told Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes, “My brother and I love each other. I love him deeply. There has been a lot of pain between the two of us, especially the last six years.” 

Meanwhile, Markle reportedly wants to fix things with Middleton. A palace source told Radar Online, “Meghan is prepared to be civil, and she recognizes that rebuilding a relationship with Kate would make life enormously easier for everyone.” However, the Duchess of Sussex reportedly does not want to take all the blame for their past tensions. 

“What she will not do is arrive back in Britain, bow her head and accept that everything that went wrong was somehow her fault. In Meghan’s mind, reconciliation has to involve movement and acknowledgment from both sides,” the insider added.

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